Posted on May 14, 2022
Scientists successfully grow plants in soil from the moon
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https://www.npr.org/2022/05/14/ [login to see] /scientists-grow-plants-soil-moon-nasa-university-of-florida
In a NASA-funded study, scientists at the University of Florida grew plants in soil collected from the moon, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Communications Biology.
The study is paramount to NASA's long-term goals in human space exploration, NASA administrator Bill Nelson said in a press release. The research could also have implications for plants growing in harsh conditions on Earth, he added.
"We'll need to use resources found on the Moon and Mars to develop food sources for future astronauts living and operating in deep space," Nelson said.
In the study, researchers planted the seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana — a plant related to mustard greens, as well as other cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli and cauliflower — in lunar soil, which was sampled directly from the moon from missions Apollo 11, 12 and 17.
To compare, researchers also planted the seeds in a lunar simulant, designed to closely mimic real lunar soil.
In a NASA-funded study, scientists at the University of Florida grew plants in soil collected from the moon, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Communications Biology.
The study is paramount to NASA's long-term goals in human space exploration, NASA administrator Bill Nelson said in a press release. The research could also have implications for plants growing in harsh conditions on Earth, he added.
"We'll need to use resources found on the Moon and Mars to develop food sources for future astronauts living and operating in deep space," Nelson said.
In the study, researchers planted the seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana — a plant related to mustard greens, as well as other cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli and cauliflower — in lunar soil, which was sampled directly from the moon from missions Apollo 11, 12 and 17.
To compare, researchers also planted the seeds in a lunar simulant, designed to closely mimic real lunar soil.
Scientists successfully grow plants in soil from the moon
Posted from npr.org
NASA
University of Florida
Space
Food/Chow
Posted 2 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel Interesting article! That's some old dust to start with, more than it is "soil", and its been on earth a very long time already, too. If they are trying to mimic a moon environment they could grow plants in a green house, but what about water?
Maybe a more practical choice is to focus on Mars for self-sufficient
"homesteading", and shipping supplies to the moon. That would require getting to the moon and back much faster with less expense monetarily and environmentally.
Maybe a more practical choice is to focus on Mars for self-sufficient
"homesteading", and shipping supplies to the moon. That would require getting to the moon and back much faster with less expense monetarily and environmentally.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Although all of the seeds sprouted, the ones that grew in lunar soil did not grow as "robust" as those in the control, according to the release. Some of the plants grown in the lunar soil samples had "stunted" roots and leaves, as well as some "reddish pigmentation," the release said.
After the plants had grown for 20 days, researchers harvested the plants and prepared to study the plant RNA. The expressed gene patterns matched the way in which researchers had seen Arabidopsis react to stress before in other harsh environments, such as when soil carries excess salt or heavy metals, according to the release.
"Now that we have lunar soil that have been in contact with biology, we can begin to ask the question: how would you and how hard would it be to mitigate any of the adverse reactions that we saw?" said Robert Ferl, assistant vice president for research at the University of Florida and an author on the study."
..."Although all of the seeds sprouted, the ones that grew in lunar soil did not grow as "robust" as those in the control, according to the release. Some of the plants grown in the lunar soil samples had "stunted" roots and leaves, as well as some "reddish pigmentation," the release said.
After the plants had grown for 20 days, researchers harvested the plants and prepared to study the plant RNA. The expressed gene patterns matched the way in which researchers had seen Arabidopsis react to stress before in other harsh environments, such as when soil carries excess salt or heavy metals, according to the release.
"Now that we have lunar soil that have been in contact with biology, we can begin to ask the question: how would you and how hard would it be to mitigate any of the adverse reactions that we saw?" said Robert Ferl, assistant vice president for research at the University of Florida and an author on the study."
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